Nickel (Ni) is the 28th element of Dmitry Mendeleev's periodic table. Refers to heavy metals. It has a melting point of 1,450°C, a boiling point of 2,730... 2,850°C. It is resistant to corrosion in aqueous, alkaline and acidic media. When heated in air to a temperature above 800°C, Ni reacts with oxygen and is covered with a thin oxide film (NiO), which protects it from further oxidation. Is ferromagnet, that is, it is magnetized in the absence of an external magnetic field.
In nature, nickel is found in pure form in meteorites. The earth's crust contains only in a bound state in the form of sulfur, silicate, magnesium, arsenic, oxygen and other compounds. Geologists estimate the total amount of Ni on the planet at 135 million tons, of which about 50 million tons have been proven. The main deposits are concentrated in Russia, Canada, Indonesia, South Africa, Cuba, Greece and New Caledonia.
The first mention of nickel is found in the historical chronicles of ancient China (235 BC). They speak of pakfong, “white copper” now known as cupronickel (an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc). Chinese artisans used alloy to make jewelry and luxury goods. In Europe, Pakfong became known only in the 13th century and was originally used for minting coins. Later, it was used to decorate weapons and create jewelry.
The new metal was officially discovered in 1751 by Swedish chemist Axel Fredrik Kronstedt. When studying minerals, the scientist obtained a green oxide, from which, through chemical reduction, he isolated a previously unknown white metal with a silvery sheen. Two decades later, another Swede, Thorburn Olaf Bergman, published studies proving that the material obtained by Kronstedt is not a mixture of several metals, but a new separate element. At the end of the 18th century, the German chemist Jeremiah Veniamin Richter drew a line under scientific research by obtaining pure metallic nickel from nickel sulfate.
Until the 80s. In the 19th century, global nickel production did not exceed several hundred tons per year. But everything changed after the discovery of rich nickel ore deposits in the New Caledonian Islands (southwestern Pacific Ocean) and Sudbury (Canada). In the 10s. In the 20th century, production increased to 1.5 million tons of ore per year. At the same time, the military industry had a huge demand for metal: nickel alloys were widely used for the manufacture of combat guns and projectiles for them, warships, portable shields and other armor.
In modern industry, nickel is used:
And this is just a small list of where pure metallic nickel or nickel alloys are found.
Due to its high anticorrosive, heat-resistant, electrical and magnetic properties, nickel is widely used in reactive technology, including in nuclear reactor designs. But because of its high cost, pure nickel is rarely used: it is mainly used as an alloying additive in the production of stainless steels (more than 65% of all Ni mined) and non-ferrous metals (15-20% of annual production). As part of alloys makes it possible to obtain materials with different physical and mechanical properties:
Pure nickel is produced in the form cold rolled strip, a sheet, strip, tube, rod or circle, as well as nickel foil, wire, thread and powder. In addition, Ni is often used for nickel plating other metals: it is used to create a special coating that protects the material from corrosion.
